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Is The iPhone 7 Plus Camera Really Any Good?

It’s the question everyone is asking – is the iPhone 7 Plus camera really any good? It might look almost the same as its predecessors, but the iPhone 7 Plus has a range of updates that make it the best yet. Should you upgrade though? Find out in this iPhone 7 Plus review…

First up, and this is a biggie – Portrait is now available in the latest iOS update! (who doesn’t love a crisp focal point with a blurred background? Just saying.) Portrait mode is seriously changing the game in smartphone photography. Hell, as if the dual camera wasn’t enough, add to the mix Portrait mode and you can 100% comfortably leave that heavy DSLR at home, because the 7 Plus can do it all. Look how good portrait mode is!

In addition to Portrait mode, the dual-camera system on iPhone 7 Plus offers optical zoom at two times and up to 10 times digital zoom for photos. includes optical image stabilisation, a larger ƒ/1.8 aperture and a new 6-element lens enabling brighter, more detailed photos and videos any time of day, while a wide colour capture allows for more vibrant colours with more detail.

You know you’re on to something amazing when you start to get asked for photography tips, as well as asked what apps you’re using because your Instagram feed has been looking especially amazing in the last month or so. Honestly, it’s not apps at all – it’s literally since I’ve had the iPhone 7 Plus in my hot little hand, that I’ve been able to up my photography game even more. Oh, and if you’re not following me on Insty – hit me up: gurlinter_upted, and while we’re doing the social media thing – I’m on Snapchat too: gurlinterrupted (when I say ‘I’m on Snapchat’ – I mean I live on it, big time!) Check out that colour and definition.

One of the main reasons I wasn’t ready to let go of my DSLR was because I love having control of the depth of field. Now with Portrait mode, you really can do absolutely everything with the iPhone 7 Plus camera. It turns the camera you carry around with you everyday into an even more powerful photography tool. Oh, and those clever peeps at Apple have also changed the selfie camera at the front from a 5Mp to a 7Mp sensor. Thank you!

On to a few other stand out features of the iPhone 7 Plus (don’t worry, I wouldn’t leave you without a few photography tips – that’ll come at the end, so stay tuned) which, if the dual camera alone isn’t enough, will definitely show you why you need this phone in your life…

Storage options
Choose from 32GB, 128GB and 256GB. Personally, I couldn’t say no to the 256GB – this luxurious capacity means you can use the shmancy dual camera capabilities to your heart’s content without worrying about running out of space.

The home buttonThe home button is no longer a physical push button. It looks no different to its predecessor, but has no moving parts. Instead, you get haptic feedback from the new, larger Taptic Engine and it’s possible to set three different levels depending on whether you prefer a weaker or stronger feeling when the button ‘clicks’. It works exactly the same way it always has, but in iOS 10 you now have to press the button to unlock the phone – there’s no more swiping.

Water resistance
The iPhone 7 Plus is now water-resistant, so you can immerse it up to 1m for up to 30 minutes. It’s worth pointing out we’re talking about fresh water here. Don’t go using it to take photos/video in the sea or a swimming pool full of chemicals (hello – chemicals!) It means that accidentally dropping your phone in the bath, toilet (yes, this is more common than you think), or spilling a glass of water over it, shouldn’t harm it.

Headphone jack
The other major change is that there’s no headphone jack. Instead the bundled headphones come with a Lightning connector, but if you prefer to use your existing headphones, there’s a Lightning-to-minijack adaptor in the box as well.

Stereo speakers
As with the iPhone 7, the Plus also gets stereo speakers. One is in the usual place on the bottom edge and the other is in the earpiece. It means the iPhone basically has the best (in my humble opinion) smartphone sound quality, EVER! It’s particularly good when watching videos, netflix (yeah – that screen is the perfect size) and of course, playing all your favourite bangers.

iPhone 7 Plus Performance
The iPhone 6S Plus was fast, but the 7 Plus is faster – thanks to the new A10 Fusion processor. This is Apple’s first quad-core chip in an iPhone. This will be key in years to come as new versions of iOS become more demanding and apps really take advantage of the extra speed.

Battery life
Can you have better performance and better battery life without making a thicker phone? If you’re Apple – yes! The 7 Plus has a 2900mAh battery, up from 2750mAh. In layman terms – I’m on my phone 24/7 – always taking photos, always on every social media platform and sometimes, dun dun duuuuuun, making phone calls and texting, and I have to say, the iPhone 6 was good, but damn, the 7 Plus is better! I will easily get an entire day of use out of my phone and wont need to even think about charging it until I hop into bed each night and finally, log off for the evening.

As promised here are a few cool tips to release your inner fashion photographer using the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which of course, can also be used across all types of photography…

Lock focus for sharp catwalk snapsYou can set and lock your focal point by tapping and holding the screen. A yellow square will pop up on the screen, indicating what you’ve focussed on, letting you follow the subject and keep a sharp shot.

Exposure
After you tap to focus, you may have seen a yellow sun symbol come up when you shoot photos. This is to help control the exposure. Slide the sun up and down to make the photo lighter or darker.

Take a picture whilst recording
If you cannot decide between shooting video and still photography you’re in luck. When you start filming you will see a white shutter to take photos near the record button. Tap that shutter for simultaneous photography and video.

Burst
If you hold down the shutter continuously you will take a series of continuous images, or a burst. You can hold down for literally hundreds of photos to capture a very precise moment – whether it’s the detail of a dress, the perfect spin of a catwalk turn or the wink of an eye. These can be whittled down to just your favourites in a few seconds by choosing Edit.

Live Photos
These came out with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus last year and capture a few seconds around each photo, so they come to life and give you a little bit of Harry Potter magic in each snap. You know you are taking a Live Photo if the round symbol in the iPhone camera is yellow.

Zoom
Thanks to the dual-camera system and ISP technology on iPhone 7 Plus, you can now get super sharp close-up photos and videos with optical zoom and improved digital zoom, letting you capture more detail and expression in your subjects – even if you aren’t front and centre!

Low light
The addition of optical image stabilisation, an ƒ/1.8 aperture and a six-element lens on iPhone 7 makes it even better for shooting photos and videos in low light, so if you’re dressed to the nines for a night out, your snaps will look just as impressive.|